Spiritual Psychotherapy for Antisocial and Psychopathic Personalities: Some Theoretical Building Blocks

Until now a profound theoretical model for spiritual psychotherapy, which is constructed specifically for nonreligious antisocial and psychopathic patients who have spiritual and philosophical interests, is missing. In this paper some important theoretical issues with respect to spiritual psychotherapy for antisocial and psychopathic patients will be discussed such as the links between spirituality on one hand and authenticity, vanity; emotional, moral, and social capacity; reality testing; creativity; and faith in life on the other. Furthermore, the spiritual psychotherapist's attitude towards his or her patients will be explored.     

A Participant-Observer's Perspective on Psychotherapy Integration

Jacobson has raised a number of issues about the usefulness of psychotherapy integration. Some of his concerns stem from his doubt that people are capable of change, and some that appear to be the result of a misinterpretation of what constitutes psychotherapy integration. This article attempts to clarify some of these misunderstandings, which seem to be the result of equating psychotherapy integration with the integration of theories. Comments are also made about the research underpinings related to work in this area.     

Everyday mysticism: Spiritual development in later adulthood

Most cultures contain a belief that aging, with its long span of life experience, can lead to spiritual growth or development. Theories of spiritual development have focused primarily on stages of spiritual growth, with less attention to its relation to the cultural life course. This paper posits that contemplative, mystical experience is the primary psychological dynamic that enables the qualitative change in life perspective that we associate with spiritual growth. While theoretically possible at any adult age, this shift in perspective is correlated with physical and psychological aging, with the relaxation of social demands that typifies the life stages of later adulthood, and with the simple, close-to-home lives led by many individuals after age 75.     

An Outsider's Perspective on Psychotherapy Integration

This article offers those who are identified with progress in psychotherapy integration an outsider's perspective on progress in the field. The author argues for a contextual study of psychotherapy and psychotherapy integration, noting that the social psychology of psychotherapy may be an overlooked dimension in the study of psychotherapy integration. He suggests that perceptions of progress in psychotherapy integration may be exaggerated due to the lack of such a perspective.     

Including a Spiritual Dimension in Family Therapy: Ethical Considerations

The inclusion of a spiritual dimension in family therapy theory and clinical practice may well be viewed as an important professional challenge of the nineties. Following a working definition of terms, this paper explores the ethical complexities inherent in operationalizing a spiritual orientation in therapy in light of the following principles adopted from medical ethics: Respect for clients' autonomy, safeguarding clients' welfare, protecting them from harm, and treating them justly and honestly.     

超越心理健康：精神健康的追求

区别于一般心理概念的、狭义的精神概念有三个特征:终极关怀、内发自生以及自由意志。诸如精神信仰危机、生活目标迷茫等区别于传统心理问题的精神问题已经成为现代人的顽疾。现代心理健康标准开始关注并尝试吸纳精神健康。精神健康是21世纪的健康主题,现代人不应仅仅满足于生理和心理的健康,还应寻求更高层次的精神健康。     

Chapter 5 Development,Psychopathology, and Brief Psychotherapy

Abstract

When using a developmental model to conceptualize curative factors in brief psychotherapy, the impact of the developmental process and the nature of the psychopathology presented by the patient must be taken into account. Both factors shape the therapeutic work. A case example of a young adult in the midst of developmental transition illustrates these issues.     

Ageing Health Care and the Spiritual Imperative: A View from Scotland

SUMMARY

This paper, given as a keynote presentation at the third international conference on Ageing and Spirituality 2004 in Adelaide, Australia, offers a perspective on ageing that makes central and fundamental the spiritual journey. Ageing is not confined to the old. We are all ageing all the time and whilst the imperative of ego integration (Erikson, 1986, 1982) is more pressing in old age, the march of time makes no exceptions. The paper starts with a consideration of the Scottish context and the current interest in Scotland in spirituality and health. Borrowing from the human developmental ideas of Frankl, Jung, Erikson, and Klein, the paper takes the view that we are all spiritual beings, and we are all trying to be successful, integrated reconciled and mature individuals. Ageing and spirituality is relevant to every individual. Successful ageing is fundamentally concerned with the successful self. The spiritual journey is bound up with the search for meaning. Ageing is part of the task of being human and it involves decline and loss. The spiritual journey–search for meaning–is unique to each one of us. The spiritual journey is made evident in the search for the ultimate destination of giving up self, transcending self. Remembrance and routine are methods by which the ageing and the spiritual journey can be facilitated. A successful ageing, according to this perspective, is therefore one that embraces and self-consciously embarks upon a spiritual journey. To take it further–the spiritual journey is bound up with ageing–and further still–ageing is a spiritual journey (Bianchi, 1984). The primary task of ageing is spiritual development. Spiritual development is helped by an appropriate societal context in which ageing as spiritual journey can flourish. This has implications for health and social care services.     

后现代视野中的心理治疗及其思考

现代心理治疗与后现代心理治疗在关于认识论、知识的性质、标准、构造以及语言的作用等方面存在诸多差异。前者是对客观与理性的探寻．后者是对主观建构的追求。尽管人们对后现代心理治疗尚有诸多争论,但却能引发人们在扩展对心理治疗性质之认识、推进心理治疗本土化、克服心理治疗中的非人格化倾向等方面的有益思考。     

My Perspective on Psychotherapy Integration: An Outsider Who's Out of It

My rejoinder is a response to two commentaries on my SEPI keynote in 1997: commentaries written by Goldfried and Cullari. Instead of grappling with the ideas I presented, both respondents were distracted by my satirical beginning. In my talk I proposed a method for studying psychotherapy integration. I am not pessimistic about the potential for integration, nor am I pessimistic about psychotherapy. But I am a skeptic, and science is driven—and indeed advance—by skepticism. In fact, psychotherapy integration requires that its advocates be skeptics. I still do not know what psychotherapy integration is, and remain confused. I can only conclude that I am not only an outsider, but out of it.     

Understanding the Ageing Process: A Developmental Perspective of the Psychosocial and Spiritual Dimensions

SUMMARY

This chapter describes a perspective of psychosocial and spiritual development in the later years of life. It outlines a study of nurses conducted in six nursing homes using pre and post workshop tests to identify changes in nurses' assignment of a list of behaviours as psychosocial or spiritual. Use of SPSS found significant changes between the pre and post tests. Pre workshop tests only identified items as spiritual if they included the word God, or Bible. Results from this study highlight the potential role for nurses in aged care to provide spiritual care as part of holistic care. It also highlights the fact that many nurses feel ill prepared for this role.     

Continuity,Spiritual Growth,and Coping in Later Adulthood

SUMMARY

Continuity of values, lifestyles, and relationships combines with spiritual growth in later life to provide most people a sense of direction and adequate resources for coping with changes that occur with aging. Being able to recognize threads of continuity and to perceive benefit from one's inner life are significant predictors of being able to maintain life satisfaction in the face of negative aspects of aging. Data from a 20-year longitudinal study are used to provide details.     

Counseling Jewish Women: A Phenomenological Study

The field of counseling has paid little attention to religion in general and Jewish women's realities in particular. This article presents the findings of a qualitative phenomenological study examining 12 Ashkenazi, non‐Orthodox, Jewish American women's self‐reported understanding of their Jewish identity, revealing the themes of Jewishness and being Jewish in a broader societal context, as well as 7 related subthemes. Recommendations are offered for counselors, educators, and researchers who work with Jewish women.     

Polishing the Mirror: Mental Health from a Bahá’í Perspective

While various authors have explored multiple religious theories of mental health in an effort to become more responsive to clients’ needs, there is a dearth of information on the Bahá’í conception of this important subject despite the faith’s growth across the world. This article will present a Bahá’í perspective on mental health by examining the faith’s basic tenets and teachings, its affinities and dissimilarities with various traditional psychotherapeutic theories, its views on psychological functioning, and its sources of healing. Common therapeutic issues of Bahá’ís will also be explored to aid counselors in conceptualizing and treating these clients.Michelle Maloney is a licensed clinical professional counselor and adjunct faculty at the University of Great Falls. She is a doctoral student at North Central University.     

生态学习观:一种审视学习的新视角

学习理论作为教育心理学的重要组成部分,百余年来发展繁盛。然而,无论是行为主义、信息加工、建构主义、还是目前流行的社会文化观,每一种学习理论所能描述和解释的不过是学习现象的某些方面或某一层次,都未能反映出人类学习的完整图景。本文尝试提出生态学习的思想,试图展现学习的整体、适应和多元的面孔。     

Spiritual Disclosure and Ego Resiliency: Validating Spiritual Competencies

Counselor spiritual and religious competency depends primarily on the ability to facilitate client spiritual disclosure. Little is known, however, about the empirical qualities of spiritual disclosure. In a sample of 318 adults (mean age = 44 years), spiritual disclosure independently predicted ego resiliency, a critical quality for stress‐related growth. Spiritual disclosure predicted ego resiliency over the partial mediators of the 5 factors of personality, general global disclosure, and congregational support. Implications for professional counseling ethics are discussed.     

Spiritual Maturity and Meaning-Filled Relationships: A Sociological Perspective

SUMMARY

The process of self-development, spiritual maturity and the construction of new meaning-filled relationships in late life are analyzed through the actions and interactions observed in the biographical case history of Sarah-Patton Boyle. Atchley's four stages in the process of retirement applied to the case of Sarah-Patton Boyle identifies the changes in her social roles and relationships and the struggle to maintain a positive self-view in the midst of socio-environmental changes. The struggle to continue “spiritual self” identity and ties with the church are discussed.     

Spiritual Inquiry and Well-Being in Life-Limiting Illness

ABSTRACT

Introduction: End of life, as a developmental phase, is accompanied by inner resources as well as losses. Spirituality is a potential inner resource for integrating illness that often occurs during this time. Despite the increase in spirituality research, how spiritual perspectives are used in life-limiting illness remains under-investigated. Better knowledge about this process may be useful for health care providers, family caregivers and patients themselves to enhance well-being at end of life. This study describes the process of how patients and family care-givers use their spiritual resources to facilitate well-being at the end of life.

Method: A qualitative study was designed, based upon the grounded theory method, that entails theoretical sampling of concepts (not sampling of people as in quantitative designs), and the analytic technique of constant comparison of the data until conceptual categories are saturated with supporting data and a theory can be identified. The sample consisted of 12 respondents: 6 dyads of elderly patients with a life-limiting illness and family caregivers. Interviews occurred over a 2-year period.

Results: Data analysis generated a theory about a process called “transcending life-limiting illness,” which derived from two related themes: spiritual inquiry and end-of-life dimensions.

Conclusion: The results expand existing knowledge about how people, either as patients or as family caregivers of persons facing end of life, live with life-limiting illness. The process of transcending life-limiting illness goes beyond merely coping to tap resources for well-being. This resource is expressed through an ongoing dialectic process of spiritual inquiry about life and death as supported by six critical life dimensions.